Preview: Experienced senior Gutmann provides staple for Suffern

Sep. 4, 2007

Written by

Daniel Kiernan

The Journal News

Of course, it's also nice for him to know that the ship won't sink if he turns his back for a minute.

After graduating seven seniors from last year's 13-5 Suffern volleyball team, Barnes is glad to have an experienced leader coming back in the person of senior captain Samantha Gutmann.

Gutmann led the Mounties with 474 assists and 82 aces last season. She also led the team in spirit, as she is expected to do again this year.

"We go as Sam goes," Barnes said simply.

Gutmann said being a senior will make things easier this season, adding some authority to her leadership.

The setter's health is better as well, which will make things much easier on her. She had knee problems as a junior. It was an extra incentive to close matches out quickly, because she could rarely make it through a five-game match.

"That killed me last year, having to pull myself out of games," Gutmann said.

Doctors didn't have an answer for Gutmann on her problem, so she spent the offseason doing rehabilitation exercises and strengthening the muscles in her knee. Now she's ready for another season, and hoping to be available for every game of every match.

Gutmann and her teammates have already gotten started, taking part in a summer league at Pelham High School with six other teams. They won the league championship, having coached themselves because Barnes was on vacation.

Gutmann said the experience was a good chance to get people comfortable and work players into their positions.

"There wasn't a lot of pressure, but at the same time we could be competitive," she said. "That really comes from the seniors on the team this year."

Those seniors know they have a tough job replacing last year's class, including kills leader Kelly Flaherty and blocks leader Arielle Becker.

Dakota Fried was second on the team in kills as a junior last year with 135. She will need to step up this season, but she isn't expecting to be alone.

"Of course it's tough because we really lost half our team," Fried said. "But I think we're going to be just as good as last year, because the girls coming up have a lot of talent."

That talent includes Jenna Hrycyk and Kristen Schmidt, the first sophomores Barnes has brought up to the varsity in six years.

Suffern's season ended with a five-game loss to John Jay-East Fishkill in the section playoffs. This season will start with a home game against the Patriots. That makes preseason preparation a much more urgent matter.

"If we go out and look silly in game one, it could be a tough start," Barnes said.

The coach says that things are progressing well in preseason practice, and the players continue to help each other grow, independent of any outside help.

"We used to have to go outside our team to get competition," Barnes said. "Every day in practice right now is good competition. It's kind of nice to see them compete against themselves to get better."